Knoxville has a lot to offer its residents and visitors alike. The city has superb Southern food, a beautifully rebuilt downtown, and some of the most fervent sports fans you’ll ever meet. It is also the entryway to the Great Smoky Mountains, so locals and visitors alike are only a short drive away from everything the Smokies have to offer.

If you’re looking to build an industrial facility in the area, we have listed some of the best in the sector serving Knoxville. The firms were chosen for their experience, areas of expertise, awards, and professional accreditations. 

Design Innovation Architects

402 South Gay Street #201, Knoxville, TN 37902

Founded in 1989, Design Innovation Architects is an architecture, planning, and interior design firm serving the residential, education, healthcare, historic preservation, hospitality, mixed-use, office, retail, and religious sectors. The essence of DIA and why it has been in business for over 30 years is the creation of long-lasting connections.  Its enthusiasm drives the development of places and situations that inspire people, improve quality of life, are ecologically conscious, and provide value.

Since its inception, it has developed its prestige as one of the area’s most adaptable architectural companies on technical proficiency and design ethic. Faris Eid leads the firm and is personally involved with many projects undertaken by the team, focusing on maintaining the high level of design and service that DIA aspires for in every project. Under Faris’ supervision, DIA was honored with the U.S. Chamber’s Blue Ribbon Award in 2017 and the East Tennessee Community Design Center – Bruce McCarty Community Impact Award in 2017.

George Armour Ewart Architect

404 Bearden Park Circle, Knoxville, TN 37919

Since 1996, George Armour Ewart has had the opportunity to work on a wide range of design projects in various sectors. It believes that as a full-service architectural and interior design firm, it is the architect’s duty to lead the customer from beginning to end. This is why it makes it a point to constantly communicate with them throughout the design and construction process, from schematic design to building occupancy. This guarantees that their goals and expectations are fulfilled, if not surpassed.

As the principal, George Ewart oversees the firm’s operations, establishes design philosophy, and handles client relationships. Since 1981, George has provided programming, master planning, and facility design for healthcare and medical facilities, religious, office, educational, industrial, retail, and commercial building types. His technical knowledge and design background provide him with a fresh perspective on architectural projects, allowing him to accommodate all of the factors at play. He is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and licensed in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky.

MBI Companies Inc.

299 North Weisgarber Road, Knoxville, TN 37919

MBI Companies Inc. (MBI) is recognized as one of the top-rated design firms in the region. Their services are diverse and comprehensive, resulting in continued success in both the public and private sectors. Their industrial design staff implements innovative design strategies in a wide variety of industrial and/or manufacturing-centered environments having completed over 200 industrial-related projects across the United States and the world. One of the benefits of MBI being a full-service, multi-discipline firm is the ability to seamlessly integrate multiple disciplines into a single project. Their staff of over 90 professionals maintains licensing in all 50 states, out of their offices in Knoxville and Chattanooga. MBI is an Energy Star Partner design company with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professionals on staff with diversified project expertise.

MBI prides itself on being a different kind of design team. They seek to immerse their clients in the design experience including programming, planning, and engineering process. They encourage their clients to visualize optimal operational processes and challenge what has been done in the past to create extraordinary design solutions for the present and for future flexibility. Over the last 10 years, industrial and manufacturing have become a focused specialty for MBI which shows in their portfolio of industrial clients including Hörmann, LLC, Smith & Wesson, Fresenius Medical Care, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Nissan North America, Honda Aircraft Company, Inc., and Colgate-Palmolive to name a few.

Studio Four Design

414 Clinch Ave., Knoxville, TN 37902

Studio Four Design, located in Knoxville, began in 2002 with the simple belief that design matters. Now in its 20th year of operations, this architectural and planning firm provides a diverse team of architects, interior designers, and project managers to focus on fulfilling its clients’ needs. Its distinct sense of design inspiration, hard work, and collaboration allow thoughts to come to life while creating projects for the industrial, higher education, healthcare, office, religious, and commercial sectors.

Headed by Stacy Cox as its president, the firm was honored with the 2018 AIA Top 10 Firm for Emerging Professionals, 2016 Knox Heritage Fantastic 15 Preservation Award, and is one of the 2016 Fastest-Growing Businesses in the Inc. 5000 List of Inc. Magazine. Its experts also hold memberships with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), and is made up of LEED AP-affiliated professionals.

Cope Architecture

2607 Kingston Pike Suite 5, Knoxville, TN 37919

Cope Architecture has been one of East Tennessee’s top architecture firms since 1983, focusing on architecture, design, master planning, and interior design. Cayce Smith, the company’s president, will continue to provide the area’s best architectural services while the company’s leadership transitions to assure sustainable growth and development. 

Smith was the president and principal architect of a commercial architecture company before joining the firm in 2012. She also served as the managing principal at Cope Architecture, where she was in charge of major aspects of company management and strategic planning.

The firm is made up of experts who are members of the AIA and are LEED AP-affiliated professionals. Its works were also featured by the press, including Knoxville News Sentinel and The Jackson Sun. The firm is composed of team collaborators, building a specialized team for each specific project. It works hard to create the right group of people to meet its clients’ needs and takes pride in its professional project management expertise.

Benefield Richters Architecture

902 N. Central St., Knoxville, TN 37917

The Benefield Richters Company is an award-winning design firm dedicated to developing environments that enable businesses and communities to flourish. Established in 1999, it provides architecture, planning, and project management services to public and private clients throughout the eastern United States. Noteworthy projects completed by the firm include the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Center for Science Education, ORNL Guest House, redevelopment of 700 Sevier Avenue, and expansion of Jupiter Entertainment’s Knoxville office.

Benefield Richters’ process allows clients to focus on their business and takes comfort knowing its team takes care of their project. The firm enjoys the challenge and artistry of the design process. Its team has extensive background guiding clients through the visioning, programming, design, and construction process for sites, facilities, and campuses throughout the southeast. The firm’s dedication to sustainability and innovation has enabled its team to win numerous awards for its work, such as the 2020 Orchid Award and 2019 Best of Knoxville recognition.